“There’s a bounty. A million dollars to whoever kills Nammota. And well, that’s… you and Andy. I think you’re both in danger.”
The dread I feel must be apparent because Andrea’s concern returns tenfold, and she mouths, “What is it?”
“Who put it out?” I ask Oliver.
“I haven’t figured it out yet. Still looking into it. I wasted hours trying to find you guys.”
“Thank you for letting us know. I’ll handle it.”
I hang up and take my wallet out as I put the phone down on the table. Then I take out four hundred dollars and lay them next to it. It should be enough to cover our dinner and the tip.
“Lex, what’s going on?” Andrea asks.
“I’ll tell you in the car. We need to gonow.”
I stand up and come around the table to help her do the same. “You’re scaring me,” she says, slipping on her kimono over her blue dress.
“I know.” Telling her would scare her even more, and we’re not wasting a few precious seconds while she processes everything.
We get our coats back and then head out without putting them on. It’s raining again, and the cold drops help soothe my racing mind a little, grounding me. As soon as we’re in the car, I urge Andrea to get in, and follow her with our things.
“Drive us back to my place,” I tell the driver. “Quickly.”
This can’t be fucking happening. Not when everything was going so perfectly with our lives, not when I finally got her back.
But it seems like my past isn’t done haunting us. And to my dismay, we’re in this together, for better or worse.
By the time the driver pulls up in front of Lex’s building, he has explained everything to me, using sign language so the driver wouldn’t hear it all. And with every new motion of his hand, my guts twisted with more worry.
I’m not even scared anymore. I’m terrified. Absolutely and utterly petrified by whatever this whole thing means. A massive panic attack is making its way through my mind, my breathing shallow, as if my lungs collapsed on themselves. Is someone really trying to take Nammota down that hard? And will people come after Lex for it, even if there’s no definite proof he’s him?
Of course they will. For a million dollars, some might even kill their own mother. And Lex is the only person who’s ever been suspected of being the hacker. So yes, he’sthetarget of choice in this scenario.
But we’re almost home, in the secure fortress that is his apartment, where I’m sure we’ll be safe. I’m already feeling better at the thought. Once up there, we’ll investigate the matter, see if the threat is real, and then strategize on what we should do next.
Lex exits the car first, since he’s on the right side, and waits for me as I join him out in the lightly pouring rain. My dress and the fine silk aren’t offering much protection against the cold drops, but I hold the kimono around me because it gives me a sense of protection. Lex must sense my state of mind because he wraps a solid arm around my shoulders.
Someone wants him dead. Us. And they’re ready to pay a small fortune to see it happen.
With each step we take toward the door, I’m feeling slightly better. We’re almost home.
When I briefly look up to see how much we have left to the door, I notice a man smoking a cigarette near it, his face half-hidden by the hoodie protecting him from the rain. Our eyes cross, and I notice a tattoo on his face, a snake twirling on his sharp features. Bertrand, the doorman, claims my attention, opening the glass door for us with a practiced smile.
But my gaze is drawn back to the stranger with the cigarette, as my disturbed brain only now registers there was something chilling in the look he sent me. He flicks the butt away, its amber glow drawing an arch in the darkness. Right as it lands on the ground, the man reaches for something behind him, tucked in the back of his baggy jeans.
My eyes widen at the sight of a handgun, its silvery barrel shining into the night. Within a split second, a rush of something powerful floods my veins, making my entire body feel electric. In the same motion, the stranger pulls the slide back and aims it at Lex.
Instinct, pure and raw, takes control of my body, and I push with all my strength against Lex, shoving him out of the weapon’s aim and further into the doorway. Just as we pass it, a deafening detonation tears through the silence of the evening. A flash of white illuminates it for a fraction of an instant as Lex and I stumble inside.
Everything slows down as he realizes what’s happening and grabs hold of me as we fall together, unable to maintain our balance. Bertrand reacts as well, pulling on the heavy glass door to shut it. But not before the man outside takes another shot, missing once more. I watch, terrified, as the armed man shoots at the glass, determined to carry out his mission. But it’s bulletproof, and the deadly bullets bounce off it, leaving nothing but white marks. This place really is a fortress. Ours.
When he realizes his shots won’t come through, the man stops firing. After a moment of staring at me right in the eye, somethingloathing in his glare, the stranger lets out a curse and shoves the gun back in his pants before running away.
Blood pumps in my ears so hard, I’m barely aware of my surroundings, of Lex’s solid hold on me, his hands pressing on my chest, of the concierge coming our way, of Bertrand taking his phone out. We’re still on the ground, my limp body half lying over Lex’s.
Someone almost killed him. The threat Oliver warned us about is very, very real. And much more imminent than we realized.
Lex’s voice seems to come from a mile away. Probably because my ears are still ringing. Someone tried to shoot him. A stranger, a man we’ve never seen before, to whom he’s never done anything, tried to kill him.
